New ‘Paranormal’ wins auds abroad

Still falls short of predecessors' opening domestic B.O.

Paramount’s “Paranormal Activity 4,” with $29 million, couldn’t scare up enough domestic box office in its opening weekend to beat its three predecessors, but the serial chiller was able to scream past the original pics at the international B.O., grossing $26.2 million from Oct. 19-21 in 33 countries.

The fourth pic’s overseas debut rang in at more than 11% ahead of “Paranormal 2″ and nearly 25% above “Paranormal 3″ from the same group of territories.

“Paranormal 4″ had nine No. 1 opening perfs, including its $3.7 million debut in Australia, as well as Germany and Mexico, which contributed $3.2 million and $2.2 million, respectively. The U.K., however, figured at the top of “Paranormal’s” pile, with $4.1 million in five days, followed by Russia, where the film scored the country’s all-time biggest opening for a non-3D horror film, with $3.5 million.

The domestic playability for “Paranormal 4″ looks less promising than overseas prospects considering the franchise degradation. Horror films typically drop considerably in repeat frames, though Halloween — a sluggish day at the box office — falls on a Wednesday this year.

Last year, “Paranormal 3″ cumed $103 million internationally, while “Paranormal 2″ reached $93 million in 2010. Collectively, the “Paranormal” franchise has cumed $526 million worldwide.

Warner Bros. Intl.’s “The Impossible,” meanwhile, continued its stellar run in Spain: In just two weeks, the tsunami disaster pic, from Spanish helmer Juan Antonio Bayona, became this year’s highest-grossing film on the Iberian peninsula, with $26 million.